Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets high-level Chinese official

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed Yang Jiechi, special representative of the president of China, to the capital

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed speaks with Yang Jiechi, special representative of the President of China, at Al Shati Palace. Eissa Al Hammadi for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi met one of China's most senior officials in the UAE capital on Saturday.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, welcomed Yang Jiechi, special representative of the President of China Xi Jinping, to Al Shati Palace.

Mr Yang serves as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and is a former foreign minister and ambassador to the US.

Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Yang were joined by Chinese officials and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive and managing director of Mubadala Investment Company.

Mr Yang is on a five-day tour of the region to discuss post-pandemic co-operation and trade.

He visited Sri Lanka on Friday, where he spoke of boosting ties with fellow nations under the Belt and Road Initiative.

He also spoke of China's major investment in Columbo and the construction of the capital's Port City, a sprawling economic free zone on reclaimed land that has been described as "new Dubai". Mr Yang will also visit Algeria and Serbia in the coming days.

The Emirates is China’s most important trade partner in the Arab world and responsible for 28 per cent of non-oil trade between China and the region.

The UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy, is home to thousands of Chinese companies, including many in free zones, and about 200,000 Chinese citizens.

Most recently, the UAE and Chinese drug maker Sinopharm worked together to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Tens of thousands of UAE residents were volunteers in a Phase 3 trial of the Sinopharm vaccine, which has been rolled out in limited numbers and, it is hoped, will soon be ready for broader use.